Are You Holding Yourself Back From Self Publishing Your Book?

byakirimpresson

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met with a desire to self-publish their book, however, these same people either never start the book or continue to come up with excuses as to why they can’t or won’t get started with self publishing. There are many reasons that I’ve heard from the timing is of, or they may even believe that no one will believe in them enough to read their book. If we place all excuses to the side, there are three main items that are the root to your not publishing your book…and no money has nothing to do with it.

SELF DOUBT & VULNERABILITY

I can’t or I don’t know if I can seem to be the going phrases for people who live in the big bubble of doubt which undermines determination and delivery. Any aspiring author must move from I want to write a book to actually finishing the book and then publishing the book, but until the hurdle of finishing the book and finishing a book that you believe in is completed, then there will be absolutely no self publishing.

So many thoughts spring into action for an aspiring author that, even prior to the upload of the e-book or the printing of their paperback, he or she is so overwhelmed at the mere thought of success that they cave in. The element of vulnerability seeps in like a snake and devours all hope, causing you to believe that the book isn’t good enough, or people may find out about you and even not believe in your new found craft. The questions of will people like it or will they see my flaws (which we all have but you solely want yours hidden and locked away under high guard), will they give me awful reviews, and can I even grasp the fact that I am really an author? All of these doubtful things enter your mind and toss away your dreams.

Get rid of self doubt because all it will do is provide cushion for the many excuses that you will find, resulting in your self publishing dreams coming to a stand still.

INTIMIDATION or BECOMING INTIMIDATED

On top of that, you are intimidated by everything that you see. My advice is that you stop looking. Stop looking at all the phenomenal book covers and graphics that you see. Stop looking inside every single book that has gone Top Five, and pay attention to all the qualities that your book will bring to the table.

No one is better than you unless you place them on a podium in your own head. To be honest, you don’t want your book to look or be like everyone else’s book, but you do want it to represent you and what you are trying to convey to your audience. Therefore, hire those that you may need to bring your idea or ideas to life, whether it be a grand book cover and awesome formatting and editing.

People can literally smell intimidation…like a feline…whether they know it or not. To prevent intimidation, go into the development of your book thinking and behaving professionally, taking criticisms where needed and cleaning your project up into something that you can be proud of. This alone will cause intimidation to flea and confidence to soar.

NO PUBLISHING KNOWLEDGE

Finally, get some self-publishing knowledge, and this will eliminate most if not all of the intimidation and doubt that you have concerning your project. My people perish for lack of knowledge the Bible says, and this is fact. Without knowledge about what you are dealing with on any level will force you into a corner, and you may as well dig the hole and jump right in it yourself.

The truth is that you can do nothing in self publishing without researching the industry. You have to know the many ways of publishing, how to not spend endless amount of dollars, what is a scam and what isn’t, who should print your book and make it available to stores, and the list goes on and on, toppled with the hows, whats and wheres of your specific genre.

Going in with your eyes closed and hand out generally means people can pass you by or take advantage of you much easier because nothing about what you’re doing says I’m targeted and ready. Open your eyes, read up on things, getting as much knowledge as you can, so that when you are ready to soar, you know how to get there and won’t just grasp at whatever is available.

Finally, I stated at the beginning that money isn’t stopping you from self-publishing, and it really isn’t. There are digital books now that take an upload and places such as Createspace that will distribute your book and help you along the way with publishing, making it more cost effective versus the days of, may I say, old. Computers are everywhere even if you don’t have one. Libraries will set you on a path to typing up your manuscript, and then you are on your way.

Remember, there is always a way around DOUBT and EXCUSES. Give yourself the best route for yourself and go for it.

This article was written by author, blogger and literary visionary
Mirika Mayo Cornelius. See more about her atmirikacornelius.com.